Ordering livestock online

[superman1950s]

I'm a little uneasy ordering from online. Mainly due to me living in TX. everything I order will come from either coast. Right now I'm looking at getting a CUC from reefs2go. Has anyone had experience with them? How did your livestock arrive? Thanks for the help.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

If your looking for a cuc go to john over at reefcleaners.org. Great guy, great company, great shipping, only problem is he can't count I ordered 20 snails for one of my 40's and got close to 50, even with 6 doas I had way more than I paid for

 

[Sniperhank]

I get most of my livestock from online. In terms of a CUC, there are better places to order from. R2G is best for their pods. When I started with them, they struggled to get livestock to you alive but would give you a refund. Now they don't have those issues so much.

 

[Dav3]

You don't need a CUC. Just keep nutrients in check and you won't have algae issues. CUC does not remove the issue causing algae. It just hides it for a while recycling the nitrates and phosphates for algae to consume again.

 

[superman1950s]

Sorry, but having or not having a CUC wasn't my question. It's about ordering livestock online and peoples experience with it. Your statement makes perfect sense, my tank in only a 29g I do weekly PWC and still have a but of algae now and then. I use RO/DI.

 

[MarinaClown]

Your apprehension is understandable. I would look at the guarantees an online retailer is making. Some will give you 7 days while others will 15. You might have to follow their recommended acclimation procedure for them to honor the guarantee so be on a look out for that...or anything that could void the guarantee. A retailer can also ask for photos of dead animal/critters. Do not dispose of any before talking to the retailer.
Also, many fish stores are willing to ship animals if a buyer is within 100-200 mile radius. They will usually ship an order via Priority Mail that most people get the next day and only pay $10-$11 for it. Good luck!

 

[Rutrag]

Also, look at the details of the guarantee. For instance, saltwaterfish.com has a 15 day guarantee. However, they will only give you store credit if the animal dies after (I think) 4 hours post delivery. That store credit doesn't count towards your next order for free shipping and can't be combined with a lot of their sales. they also require that you send them a picture of the dead animal.

Liveaquaria however IME will give you a refund in most cases without asking too many questions.

These are the only two online retailers I have ordered from.

 

[tonedogz]

I ordered from r2g and the snails and crabs were very tiny. I usually use bluezoo aquatics I've ordered quite a few things from them and their on the west coast.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

For fish and corals live aquaria and blue zoo are the only 2 I use. But I'm telling you if your lookin for cuc, john Maloney at reefcleaners.org is the king of the snails!!!!!!

 

[carey]

I have had mostly bad luck with reefs2go. I made 3 orders and they all had something not alive in them. I love reefcleaners.org, john is a standup guy and like stated above you will usually get more than you order. He refunds you if something doesnt arrive alive as well. Most places only give a store credit which isnt the best way to refund in my opinion.
I have mostly ordered from liveaquaria and they will refund your credit card if something doesnt make it two weeks. Best online place from my experience.

 

[superman1950s]

Thanks all for the advice and help. I live in the DFW metroplex in TX and we have two stores to choose from. Ones stock is so expensive I go to the other who really only sales corals at amazing prices. So I don't have very many options other than online.

 

[superman1950s]

And sounds like reefcleaner.org is the way to go. Turns out my mom is in the same issue in OKC with like 2 stores. She just told me she got her CUC from reefcleaners.org

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

All hail john king of snails!! But seriously order less than you think you need, or if you go with one of his custom packages ( just enter tank size, all snails or snails and hermits, and a couple other questions and he will put together a package just for you) be prepared for a snail bomb